Kodi has become so popular over the years. Today, I am going to discuss in brief, why Uk bans fully-loaded Kodi boxes. The measures that are taken by the Uk to uphold the ban, as well as how those who wish to use Kodi boxes legitimately will not be affected.

Some years back, I talked extensively about IPTV in Africa and its prospects. Today all my predictions are unfolding and I am even seeing more than I expected. Kodi has been the centre of cheap IPTV solutions. Without Kodi, IPTV will either be beyond the reach of the poor or comprise of contents that will appeal to just a few.

A fully loaded Kodi box is one that has been modified to access paid content channels.This is achieved with the help of third party plug-ins popularly known as add-ons. These add-ons allow people to illegally watch the shows without paying. Kodi software itself is not illegal and the company behind it are actually trying to distance themselves from pirated content.

Why the ban of Kodi boxes by the UK government and European union?

For the sake of emphasis and I repeat, Kodi software itself is 100% legal, using Kodi on any device is 100% legal. However, using Kodi with third party add-ons is illegal and this is what the UK government is fighting Against. Currently, the EPL owners are in partnership with all internet service providers in the Uk to block access to any individual or group streaming English Premiership or other copyright protected contents from Kodi in the Uk. Worthy of note, thousands of Brits are currently using fully-loaded Kodi boxes.

Excerpt from express.co.uk on why Uk bans fully-loaded kodi boxes

Kodi boxes are legal. Users are able to buy a box and watch free content. But it becomes illegal when a box is used to stream subscription channels for free. It is also illegal to buy or sell these modified devices which have become known as “fully-loaded” – a term that describes how the software has been altered to allow access to subscription-only channels.

The European Court of Justice has just ruled that streaming copyrighted material for free on multimedia players such as Kodi is illegal. Last week’s landmark EU verdict means pirate streams are now on the same legal footing as illegal downloads. And that’s not all Kodi users should be concerned about as there’s also the problem of control over the content being beamed into living rooms

“There are more of these boxes out there and they do plug straight into the television set. “You don’t have the same sorts of controls and protections that you will see through traditional television which is highly regulated.” Mr Sharp warned.

Holistic measures being taken by the UK Government

According to thesun.co.uk: A recent study by YouGov suggests that over five million boxes are already in UK homes and that number is set to grow at an alarming rate. In fact, the poll suggests the problem is getting so big it could pose a serious threat to subscription TV brands such as Amazon, Netflix and Sky.

Though Kodi itself is legal, however, the software can be changed with third-party add-ons providing access to pirated illegal of content.

These third party add-ons are the target of many UK’s ISPs, government agencies, broadcasters and rights holders joining forces to disrupt the streams being pushed out across the internet.

Speaking about the measures being put in place Kieron Sharp, FACT Chief Executive, told Express.co.uk: “You’ll be aware of the Premier League case which has led to the blocking of streams by ISPs.

“With these in place what you’ll find is the effectiveness of the add-ons within the boxes is being affected and there could be more in the way of blocks in the future”

Which other parties are involved in this fight against the illegal use of Kodi boxes?

It is not only the Uk government that is in this fight. Surprisingly, Amazon has now banned “fully loaded” set top boxes on their site. In addition, they have vowed to freeze the accounts of anyone found to be breaking the rules.

The company released a statement saying: “Products offered for sale on Amazon should not promote, suggest the facilitation of, or actively enable the infringement of or unauthorised access to digital media or other protected content”.

“Any streaming media player or other devices that violate this policy is prohibited from sale on Amazon.”

Earlier this year, the Premier League was granted a court order which allowed them to shut down streaming of football matches by blocking internet servers that provide them.

Related

I am a satellite hobbyist, Gadget freak, Public Administrator, product review specialist and also a university graduate with an irrepressible passion for sharing latest and trending tech-related ideas and information. You can follow my tweets on Twitter or add me to your circles on Google+! You can as well grab my feed and get updates through emailGoogle+